


Death's Final Angel

by B0redaf



Series: Death's Angel [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, F/M, Female Tony Stark, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt Tony Stark, I cut out Dr Strange because I don't want to kill him, I don't know how to write them in, Merchant of Death Tony Stark, Not Really Character Death, Not Steve Friendly, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Soul Stone Tony Stark, Steve rogers is rarely mentioned but when he is it isn't friendly, Temporary Character Death, Wordcount: Over 10.000, also I don't need anymore drama and I will automatically make maximoff a bitch, most characters will just be refrences, no vision and no maximoff, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:06:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28705632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B0redaf/pseuds/B0redaf
Summary: Death wasn't always so lonely, she was almost always surrounded by her angels, her fierce, loyal, sweet angels. the angels were hidden, they were precious but people believed if you killed an angel of death...you would live forever.what people focused on was the death, never the merciful angels. Overtime the angels disappeared, their abilities lost, their souls never to be reborn. It's been millennia since the last known angel was killed.Thanos comes to earth in his attempts to win death over by slaughtering trillions, prepared to face the small world's army.but he was never ready for Toni, no one ever is ready for an angel steeped in blood.Toni was the youngest angel, filled with the power of those who came before she came into the world wrapped in light and a deadly love. as the angels died off death hid her final angel on a small planet at the edge of the universe to keep her safe.
Relationships: Death (Marvel) & Tony Stark, Death (Marvel)/Thanos, Loki & Avengers Team, Loki/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team
Series: Death's Angel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170161
Comments: 23
Kudos: 163





	1. A Merciful Death

**Author's Note:**

> notes at the end, this is my first work would really like constructive criticism or requests IDK just pls be nice????

Death had been lonely when Thanos had first approached her, her angels were gone and she was swept up by his affections and efforts to win her heart, he didn't curse her.

He didn't hurt her until he did.

\---------

When death first became aware she saw soft lights and her loving angels, they were few in numbers but guarded her and the souls under her care as a mother would her cubs.

Each angel glowed with power, an angel for each type of death.

The angel of painless deaths was one of the first to be slaughtered.

To mortals, all angels look the same.

To gods and souls, each one glows with its personality.

Soon more and more angels fell, sometimes they were trapped, some tricked, others tortured. More and more angels died and the few that remained sacrificed themselves to guard the dead and their mistress against vengeful beings. Beings who sought more power would try and eat angel hearts and make armors with the angels' feathers.

Death hadn't always been inevitable, she never could be until life was given meaning. Death gave life meaning and in turn, life gave death purpose and power, after all, what makes people chase their dreams is the knowledge they one day won't be able to.

\---------

When death awoke she was made to guard the soul stone, the rest of the infinity stones were scattered throughout the cosmos, some heavily guarded, others hidden in plain sight. Death was alone without her angels even the other beings (none of them were strong enough to be gods, she scoffed, her angels held more power in their breath alone) Hades, Hela, all of the lesser beings of death respected her, loved her power, but never her. Not like her angels.

Death was completely alone, all angels lost when her last angel was born, her angel with a soul glowing in a soft kaleidoscope of colors. This angel was not made at her hand, she was made at the hand of mercy and justice and gifted to death, and death loved her. So she hid her.

She hid the vibrant soul from everyone and sent her precious angel to earth, she was a mercy to the chaotic world but no one knew it yet.

The angel was blessed and cursed by the same gift, she knew all the secrets learned in death but loved nonetheless she was the best and worst of the world wrapped into one. She was the angel of death - she wasn't a cruel death or a painless death.

She was a blessing in disguise, she gifted death to souls who suffered from no hope of a better future and pleaded to leave, to burn and salt the earth.

\--------

And so this miraculous paradox of an angel was born to Howard and Maria Stark. Antonia 'Toni' Natasha Stark was born into the perfect hell.

Her father, when present, was a raging, abusive drunk and Maria had long lost her fighting spirit under heavy drunken fists.

As little Antonia grew she was 'kidnapped' many times, some times by people, other times that wasn't always the case. Antonia would often sneak out to see Death, Death never called her Antonia like her raging father or disappointed mother.

Death called her precious, called her trouble in a fond tone with a laugh, called her lux mea est in tenebris (my light in the darkness), and named her Azrael. She longed to stay with Death, but Death told her she needed to stay safe, and so she always went home, knowing that death would guard her.

The first time Antonia used her powers was to spare a mother and child more abuse when she was 4.

She was 13 before she used her powers again, on a Tiberius Stone when he tried to assault her (death and her honey bear were pissed when they found out).

Tiberius was the first time she used death as karma, she learned that using her power of justice on people like Tiberius wasn't satisfying and she would do it personally should she ever need to make someone suffer.

As Antonia grew older she gained a reputation as; genius, billionaire, philanthropist, futurist, playgirl, and merchant of death.

But in Afghanistan?

Antonia never used her powers, she never needed to.

They didn't deserve the mercy of a swift death.

They would SUFFER

just like they made the innocent SUFFER

just like they made Yinsen SUFFER.

She would burn them alive for what they did and then she blew them to kingdom come.


	2. note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you shall see

Hey guys, a few things to say.

1\. I want to mention if I take too long people are welcome to adopt it and make their own versions but I will still post mine at some point, I will post the titles and authors of other versions should people choose to read them. 

2\. If you adopt please let me know! I'd love to read it!!!! THANK YOU!

3\. A few important details about the story for clarification:

\- Toni and Azrael are the same person, Toni is Toni's face with or without her wings. Azrael is Toni but with the skull face and wings, she is basically what people think is the angel of death's true form (this is not the true form. the true form is Toni's human face with wings and using powers I guess for lack of better wording)

\- Toni/Azrael's powers: healing (death heals all wounds just like time), truth (no one can hide from death so Toni can tell when people are lying), death (obviously and pretty explanatory but she specializes in merciful deaths/deaths that people earn so if you were a bitch in life your death will be a bitch that sorta thing), flight (wings, duh, this isn't really a power just emphasizes the angel and makes her look cool), lastly she can create weapons out of souls and shadows these weapons are made of specific souls protective souls are used for shields, aggressive souls are used for swords, dark souls are used for double antler or half-moon blades, hammers and axes are made from shattered souls, and all souls are mixed with shadow to make them stronger

\- B0redaf

P. S. I will cut out characters because I'm lazy and I won't want to make history for them or write them into battles or write about their abilities but if you really want me to write them just ask and I will at least mention them.

P. P. S. I have added art if you have some of your own or found some online that you think would be good for this fic I would love to add it (obviously I will give credit to whoever suggested it)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay so this is just for clarification, adoption will always be an option for ALL pieces I write variety is the mother of enjoyment after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will cut out characters because I'm lazy and I won't want to make history for them or write them into battles or write about their abilities but if you really want me to write them just ask and I will at least mention them.

Death felt it when her angel suffered, she had been wrapped up with the chaos Thanos was stirring throughout the cosmos and had mistaken the pain of her angel for her exhaustion and hatred.

When she finally realized her error and raced to her angel she found her angel where she had first built the suit of metal powered by a gruesomely beautiful glowing blue light embedded in her chest. She felt the shattered souls all around her as she drifted aimlessly through the burned camp.

She could hear her angel’s soul singing with the haunting wind floating over the battlefield, drawing the power of the dead to her.

Death followed the power to find her angel sitting her long wings trailing out behind her, the same bloody red of love, war, energy, anger, and the same ebony of mourning, protectiveness, unspeakable power. The same shade of ebony that trailed after death herself, when she displayed her true face, half too perfect to be true and the other half-rotten and gnarled. The newer color ran through the wings like cracks through a foundation, the golds and bronzes of wealth, influence, and generous compassion that she had earned during her time as CEO and the strength she wielded in her human and true forms.

To keep her angel safe they both had 2 faces, their true faces, and their masks.

When Toni was Toni she wore her true face, when Toni was Azrael her face was nothing but a skull, a very expressive and beautiful skull. But still a skull.

Her angel showed no rage, just satisfaction and a touch of grief as she spoke over the desert winds “A mortal saved me, Yinsen, he died saving me. He told me not to waste my life.”

Death observed her young angel, she had grown so much.

Death knew when to listen to her angels and now was one of those times.

There was a clunking sound as her angel healed herself, as the glowing light fell from her angel and broke apart.

yet her angel still had a glow in her chest, an illusion to keep the mortals and immortals from discovering her secret.

\-----------

“I made sure he felt no pain in death.”

Toni turned to death, her best friend, sister, mother, and mentor.

“But I realized something when he said ‘don’t waste your life.’ i have failed.”

she watched as death turned to her in shock and horror but she didn’t let her interrupt.

“I have failed to be there for you, I have failed to protect you from Thanos. Because of my failure, he attacked my home city.”

she listened as death inhaled sharply.

“He did so in the form of possessing an Asgardian, which I thought was impossible but apparently if you torture them for a few years they eventually crack.”

\---------

“Did he figure that you are the last angel?” death asked nervously, she couldn’t bear to lose her angel, she was all she had, she was her best friend.

“Nah, lokes and point break… I mean thor has no idea and Loki actually called me a ‘pathetic mortal’ so I’m going based on that.” Azrael said with a snort.

“But back to my point, I need to step up. I cannot fail you, I need to know everything you can tell me about Thanos, with all the avengers, by the way, can you believe that asshole fury? Throws me on a team with that fucking chauvinistic pig rogers, who by the way knew who my ‘parent’ murder was and expected me to pay for everything and expects me to obey his every whim? It's ridiculous, the rest are okay though actually barton and lokes are great they’d be better if they got along though, but they don’t know that I can tell when they are lying or that I can heal or that I’m immortal, or I am an angel of death. Honestly, they don’t know anything, but they will be helpful during the battle and we might be able to win especially since some of them are gods.”

Death looks over and cracks a wry smile, her angel was very enthusiastic and protective, her friends and children would be granted immortality once she revealed what she was.

Death suspected that Loki would be added to the list but he was already 'immortal’ unlike the peter and Harley kids and the colonel and the spitfire potts.

Death quite liked them, they cared about her angel almost as much as she did.

Azrael listened closely as death told her, they sat and watched the sunset and then the stars until she was called by potts and had to head back to her tower before people realized she was missing.

Toni flew into the night and death dissolved into her shadows once her angel disappeared from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suck at endings so.... sorry???


	4. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the battle i guess? or part of it?

Toni felt when Thanos arrived. She felt the stones sing as they connected with their sister soul stone, she felt the connection sing through her.

She felt when the battle for the universe, for every soul, began. 

She had to make sure her family was safe

She knew Loki was safe, or at least alive because she didn't feel him die.

She found Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Peter, and Harley. She had told them who she was, what she was, she showed them what she was, and what would happen. She didn’t tell them everything though, she told them if she died she could come back (a lie) but since they couldn’t come back (true, but they would still be hard to kill). She pleaded with them to stay safe and allow Death to hide them away, promising that she would come back but couldn’t bear to lose them. When she fought  Thanos’ mage, they had been injured by collapsing buildings and projectiles. Too exhausted to put up much of a fight they reluctantly agreed. 

As she prepared to leave to battle Thanos she was stopped by a hand resting gently on her forearm. Death turned her around gently and took a deep breath.

Death pulled Toni close and mumbled apology after apology into her hair, when she pulled back she realized that Death was crying. It was eerie watching someone that so many cursed shed tears for her last angel. 

“I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how.” Death mumbled, refusing to meet Toni’s eyes.

She inhaled sharply and sighed, too exhausted with the prospect of what was to come to do anything drastic “I’ve always had suspicions, ever since DUM-E, JARVIS, YOU, and BUTTERFINGERS. They have souls don’t they?” Death nodded with guilty eyes.

“So I’m…..” 

“The Soul Stone, yes.” Death sighed, Toni felt the pieces slide into place, she felt her soul sing as it was made whole. “Your powers were masked, you are the soul of the Soul Stone. When you needed to be hidden from Thanos we didn’t want you to gain awareness alone, we wanted you to know the joys of life, the meaning of death, you needed to be, for lack of a better term, human to be the Soul Stone. We chose Earth because Thanos would never look here, time passed fast here so you could grow up normally, and should he come early, you wouldn’t lose the opportunity to be a child.”

Toni nodded “so….. when I go to face Thanos, will he recognize me… or…?”

“He won’t know, because your power signature never changed, when you use your powers you are using your abilities as the Soul Stone. I can’t make weapons out of the fragments of souls, no one can. Except you, only you; the Soul Stone can wield souls. The shadows are the will of the dead so that was your ability as one of my angels. Your powers as the Soul Stone align perfectly with your powers as an angel because they are so closely intertwined” 

Toni turned towards the battlefield she couldn’t see, she could feel her siblings, she could feel the souls on the battlefield, she could feel Thanos. “I have to go,” she said softly.

Death smiled “I wish you the best of luck, I will come as soon as I can but this war has caused so much death, I haven’t caught up yet. You can hold your own, but you won’t have to when it counts.”

\------------------------------------------

His magic surged across the battlefield pulsing in green waves like a heartbeat as he threw dagger after dagger at each enemy. 

_**Pain**_ didn’t even begin to explain what he felt. Heartbreak didn’t begin to explain what had happened. His gaze washing over the battlefield. Thousands of bodies lay motionless, Thor… his brother was struggling to stand his lightning crackling through the air, knocking down a few enemies at a time as opposed to the hundreds his bolts had fallen when the battle had first begun. 

From beside him, he heard a sickening crunch, as a Wakandan warrior was smashed until most of her bones were shattered and death granted her peace. 

Thanos was laughing as he slaughtered some with his sword, or incinerated others with his incomplete gauntlet. Their deaths amused him, their lives meant nothing, they were offerings sacrificed by Thanos for a cosmic entity that wouldn’t even speak to him.

Clint and Natasha with too many broken bones to move were bound and held in a prison, a final gift for Death to kill personally. The Guardians were alive, the green woman was in difficult shape; unconscious but alive. Hulk was gone… Barnes and the Captain were close to each other. The stubborn Captain determined to continue fighting. Barnes' metal arm was fried and he was out of weapons. As much as he still had some issues with the Captain, they had experience fighting beside each other and had stuck together. They’d done well but in the end, they were outmatched. Thanos was just too strong and he had almost all of the Infinity Stones as well as his almost-immortality.

Loki struggled to get to his feet but he managed. He couldn’t see his mortal and as much as he hated it, he was thankful for that. He hoped she was safe and far away, or at least if she was… was… he wouldn’t have to see her, that sight would haunt him for all eternity.

He met Thanos’s gaze, the mad titan had injured him but he wasn’t a fool. It wasn’t kindness that Thanos hadn’t killed him yet, he had broken free from Thanos with the help of his Antonia. Naturally, Thanos wanted revenge for what he did. Thanos wanted to break him all over again in the most unique and painful ways he could. 

“Such worthless creatures. You thought you could stand against me?” He laughed coldly and cruelly.

It was pointless to dignify an answer.

The Infinity Gauntlet, still on Thanos’ hand and all the stones within it, flared to life. Loki heard the Avengers grunts of pain and gasps for air, he felt his seidr flicker out, he waited for the final blow to come, to end him, to end them all. Instead, he felt something wrap around his wrists and neck, restricting his movements, draining his energy, and blocking his seidr. He opened his eyes, when had he closed them? He found the Avengers and Guardians in similar states of imprisonment, some too hurt to move, some chained, some bound, some had lost their will to continue.

Soft steps echoed across the silence of the battlefield, and Loki looked down, not wanting to see the face of Death. When he heard Thanos growl his head jerked up in search of the cause. 

NO! IT COULDN’T BE, SHE SHOULDN’T BE HERE!

\---------------------------------------------

When she stepped onto the battlefield, she had known it would be gruesome. But it was like knowing being shot hurt, you didn't know how much or how it would feel, you just knew it would be terrible. 

The Avengers, the Guardians, and Loki surrounded by the auras of the Infinity Stones, trapped and covered in blood. Bones were sticking out through skin in ways that should never be possible but this, the scene in front of her, was all real. 

She could feel souls begging for rest but she couldn’t grant it, not yet. She needed to stay hidden. If she revealed herself they would die and all they had fought for would have been for nothing.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried, hope you like it!


	5. Incomplete

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is not actually incomplete, that is the title.

When his Antonia walked into the blood-soaked battlefield, wearing nothing but her favorite oversized AC/DC shirt and her jeans, her hair in a messy bun and the necklace he had gifted her, Loki felt his heart seize and a vice grip his gut, his lungs filled with air but it felt like he was underwater. She wasn’t someplace safe, someplace far away from here, his darling mortal was here. She was in danger, and he couldn’t protect her.

“Thanos.” was all she said.

Thanos’s lip curled into a smirk, “so this is the famous Iron Maiden? The pathetic mortal that managed to wipe out over half of the chitauri army? I expected… someone more... impressive.”

Loki noticed the blood dribbling out of her mouth just as she wiped it away with the back of her hand. When she spoke he could just barely hear the undercurrent of pain and tension in her voice “sorry to disappoint, but speaking of disappointing, that Squidward wizard you sent to new york wasn’t very impressive. He lasted…. 15? 20? minutes? Honestly I expected you to put in a little effort.” wait she had been in a fight? That explained the blood but he was mentally kicking himself for not being there, for not protecting her.

“That matters not anymore, I have all but the stone of my mistress, and she will receive them as her final courting gift from me. Then she will truly be mine.” Thanos chuckled, “but do continue little mortal, you will be an interesting way to wait for my mistress.”

Shoulders rolling up and back, Antonia became Iron Maiden as she spoke.

“Those stones in your hand, the Infinity Stones; Time, Space, Reality, Mind, Power, and the one you are missing, Soul. You’ve killed so many for them with no remorse. I’ve ended thousands of lives, but I happily carry that guilt, knowing what I’ve done. All the avengers that are before you have red dripping off their ledger and so much it can’t be wiped clean, but regardless they try.”

Loki watches in horrified awe as his precious mortal stands before Thanos, the monstrous being who managed to break even him, but she stands, remaining unbroken.

Loki knows what is to come if she fails.

He can do nothing, he is as helpless as the rest of the avengers.

All of them trapped by the stones or exhausted by the sheer number of invaders.

His mortal will perish as soon as Thanos grows tired of her.

“Antonia, please,” he whispers in a broken voice, knowing she will hear him regardless. 

His mortal gives him a watery smile and shakes her head sadly. Before continuing in an unbroken voice, “Time, you waste it.”

“Mortals, we live such short lives, we value every second we have, we make them count. Even if we all die today people will remember each of our names, remember us. Just like they’ll remember everything we did here because we made what little time we had count.”

A dangerous quiet settled over the bodies of the fallen.

“Hell, even when some of us should have run out of time we didn’t. Rogers and Barnes are still up and kicking.” The super soldiers startled at the mention of their names, focusing through their haze of pain.

“I got blown up, and I built myself a new heart, I fought for more time. New heart’s killing me and now have little to no time? I make a new one and make more time. Loki, like you, has all the time in the universe. Loki fought for his time, he made his time count. He lives. He isn’t just alive. But you, if you were told that you would die tomorrow, you wouldn’t even know what you’d do because you’ve always been guaranteed all the time in the fucking world.” 

The Avengers, Loki noticed, were watching on in a mix of shock and confusion.

Loki was too worried about his mortal to care though, otherwise, he would have ripped into them for not appreciating her enough, appreciating the time she was buying them.

His mortal choked and spat blood onto the ground before continuing in a hoarse voice as if nothing was wrong. “Reality, I should have died in Afghanistan, when my heart was ripped out, when I was poisoned by my heart, in the battle with the chitauri, when I was thrown out a window, and when I was alone in Siberia.”

Loki deeply regretted all the damage he had dealt to his precious mortal but hearing that it could have killed her before he had ever gotten to know her was a painful thought he hoped never to revisit.

“Reality is Barnes should have died when he fell from that train, during hydra’s experimentation, and when he was fighting the avengers.”

Barnes’s face was a blank mask.

“Reality, Steve should have died before receiving the serum with his condition, the serum should have killed him, the ice should have killed him.”

Rogers looked like he was filled with bone-deep exhaustion.

“Reality, I have no idea how Groot, Drax, or Mantis are alive."

"Rocket should have died during experimentation."

"Gamora should have died when you attacked her planet, Nebula should have died during her time as your daughter, Starlord should have died when he first left earth.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy turned away from where they were glaring at Thanos to listen.

“Reality, Sam should have died during his time in the military, Natasha should have died during her time in the red room.” 

“Each of us said ‘fuck it’ to our reality and made a new one. We made our reality without any help. Can you say the same, Thanos? Oh right, you need the stone for that.”

Why Thanos was letting her rant, Loki had no idea. Either way, she continued, thankfully she could speak and stay safe a little longer. Loki decided to just listen and enjoy his time with his mortal. 

“Space,” she held her arms out like she was waiting for an embrace.

“Life all over the universe builds spaceships to travel across space. Humans will eventually figure it out. Rocket could build one on his own, same with T’Challa, same with me. You need that Stone there to travel across space, that or someone you forced to build you a spaceship. You can’t even figure it out for yourself.”

she said with a laugh, Loki didn’t like that laugh. This was the laugh Antonia used when she was self-deprecating or when she was half-mad with fear, lack of sleep, and stress.

“Mind, even Earth has geniuses, people with several PHDs, doctors, and scientists, people without degrees excel using their minds for other things. Using our minds to manipulate others, to get what we want, creating complex lies to fool even immortals, figuring out how to never miss a target, calculating how to get past every security measure. You are smart when it comes to some things, but reading relationships? Not so much. You got GHOSTED by DEATH. She hates you so much that the only way you can get her to notice you again is by killing half the universe.”

His mortal had a point, but how did she know so much about Death and Thanos? Loki pushes his thoughts aside as his mortal continues.

“Lastly power, you have none of your own. You take power from the stones.”

Loki winced as Thanos glared at his mortal, but his Antonia continued, completely unfazed.

“I’m 26, I was tortured and I built a fucking suit of armor to get away."

"Rogers was born sick and weak but his heart was his power and allowed him to gain more, yes he’s an asshole, yes he needed help to get his power but at least he didn’t **_steal_ ** it."

"The Guardians, a family of misfits, when together, they fight you and try to save the fucking universe."

Banner, a man who lost everything when he became Hulk; his rage and mind are his power."

"Thor’s strength is his power. Loki’s magic, determination, creativity, and mind are his power. Thanos, what power do you have that wasn’t fucking stolen?”

His mortal grinned wide even in the face of her certain death.

Loki looks on helplessly as Thanos lifts his gauntleted hand, “Are you done, mortal?”

The Power Stone begins to shift in its hold, glowing brighter, humming with barely contained energy.

Antonia stood there unfazed, a blast of power filled the air with a purple light as it barrelled towards her. 

Loki strained against his chains, as he called “ANTONIA!” but his voice was drowned out by the roaring of that purple blast.

Time stood still.

A vortex of dust floated into the still crackling air.

The dusty particles reflected the sun-rays taking on the appearance of pink glitter, or perhaps pixie dust, rather than the rusty blood that caked the ground. 

Where Antonia had once stood was a charred indentation in the ground, black lines stretching out like tears of darkness.

He felt tears stream down his face as he silently screamed, his Antonia, his feisty mortal, his light who accepted him even when in his monstrous blue form, his love who was too stubborn and good to die had just been incinerated in front of him, and he was powerless to stop it. 

He had sworn to keep her safe but he had failed, just like he had failed at everything else.

A loud thump shook him out of his thoughts, he would see his mortal soon. 

In a pose so similar to Iron Maiden’s classic landing style that if it hadn’t been for the large black and gold wings Loki would have thought his mortal was still alive. 

The figure pulled itself up from the ground. Draped in black robes stood a being with a skull head, veins of black ran throughout the face giving it a look of great age, beauty, and femininity while appearing eerie and lifeless.

Shadows and a soft golden glow mix and swirl at the angel’s feet.

Loki recognized what this being was as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

This was an angel of death. 

But that was impossible! The last angel had died well over a century ago and no new angels had been born.

The monster, Thanos appeared to have reached the same conclusion, “an angel of death? Haven’t the angels been dead with no new angels for quite some time?” the guarded respect in Thanos’ tone was disturbing to hear but Loki understood the reasoning, if this was in fact an angel of death then Thanos could not risk offending them.

The skull smiled, which shouldn’t be possible but it was quite a clear expression, taking on a menacing and blood-thirsty air.

“So what if I am?” thousands of voices spoke at once.

Thanos smiled, “then I would like to request to speak to Lady Death, Our Mistress. I have a gift for her,” he gestured toward Loki and the Avengers as well as his gauntlet.

The skull managed to look skeptical “Unfortunately due to the large influx of deaths over the last year you will have to wait.”

Loki felt a sense of deja vu, it felt as if this angel didn’t want Thanos to be with Death, he was pretty sure he imagined the growl that came from Thanos but his eyes swirled with barely contained rage.

Thanos managed to keep his voice calm and asked “and who are you again?”

With a sigh the angel sat and waved towards Thanos “Sit, I’ll tell you. We have a little bit of time so I will give you a story and some advice in return for you to temporarily pause with your….. Courting.”

With a nod, Thanos sat and Loki turned his attention to the angel.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired, I apologize for all errors


	6. By All Means, Try.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't write summaries, so I won't.

“It would do you all some good to listen to this,” said the angel with a sad expression “you will all face death in the end and as an angel of death, I can help you out. As for you Thanos, it will let you learn a bit about Lady Death.” The angel’s wings ruffle themselves as she shifts on the ground, calling the black and gold to her hands, morphing into various daggers and half-moon blades before turning back to a thick, oily liquid and pooling around her.

“It is a story of an angel, Azreal, who was born too small and weak for her unsuspecting father to love or accept her.”

Loki shifts and Thanos leans forward. Stories about the angels of death that didn’t depict them as monsters or glorified targets were rare, a story of the angels had never been told by an angel of death.

Everyone knew to listen, the angel's voice echoed with the voices of hundreds, with sorrow, rage, envy, and joy. Demanding the attention of everyone even though they barely spoke above a normal level. 

“Death left her on a hidden planet during a time of war. War was raging throughout the universe but no one was ready to acknowledge it, whole planets and armies were lost. This war was fought for the fundamental powers of the universe. Some of these powers had already been claimed through endless bloodshed while others were guarded by the unkillable. Death held the Soul Stone and her final angel and watched the universe turn on itself. Deciding to let her angel grow up safe and to put the Soul Stone out of reach, they were hidden.”

Loki noticed the barest movement of Thanos, he had a hungry gleam in his eyes, the Soul Stone had been thought lost for centuries, it was thought to be lost for all eternity, yet this was the story of that very stone.

“Azrael grew up with a father who was a monster, one who didn’t just cause the scars that could be seen but also the scars that couldn’t be."

"A daughter who was, despite everything, never enough."

"Azrael’s father wished for a son and cursed her every chance he got but used her all the same. So the child sought comfort from the only being who cared, Death. The child begged for death, so Death came, she came and told Azreal her true name, she told her who she was and what she was. So at 4 years old, the angel of death claimed her title and powers”

Loki startled, angels of death claimed their titles when they had first used their power, to remain hidden for so long, since they were now clearly an adult was quite the accomplishment. Even now, with the angel clearly in front of him, he could barely detect her.

“She was dragged to places she didn’t want to be, was preyed upon by her father's friends, kidnapped, and once was almost killed by them."

"She tried to be a good daughter, to earn her father’s love by being useful. But it was all in vain. Her gifts and victories, forever in the shadow of a man long dead, the ‘perfect’ man her father would rather have as a child, but the perfect man had left. Yet she continued to try, Death visited when she could and the child was happy. But every child seeks the love of their parents, even when there is none.”

Loki felt each word connect with him, he knew what it was like to look for love from a father when there was none and from the looks of it, Gamora and Nebula understood the angel too.

“As the years passed he father died and the ‘perfect’ man returned."

"Azreal did not desire power and she had always known the ‘perfect’ man would return. The day he returned all she felt was dread."

"This man was arrogant and foolish, he fought without thinking. He cared not for those he slaughtered while Azreal was haunted by their dying screams. He did not heed other’s advice, the angel saw a future of fire and death if the man did not remember he was not, in fact, perfect. So she went to her so-called second ‘family’ that had been built, speaking of her worries. Requesting they wait until the man was not so foolish before they gave him so much power, but she was ignored. Her ‘family’ shunned her, claimed her to be jealous, disregarding her concerns."

"So the angel did what was necessary in order to save the planet she called home, and the people she thought of as her own. She returned the power of the man to those it had once belonged to, the man was enraged and blinded by greed. He claimed those who were not him to be dangerous, untrustworthy, and would bring about their doom so he fought the angel. He tried to kill her, and he succeeded.”

She smiled wryly as she moved to stand. “the end."

Loki snapped out of his reverie as the Avengers asked what happened next, despite their exhaustion they were obviously just as captivated as him.

"I fear I am boring you with my tale. I suppose it is not so interesting, you all look so very bored.”

Even Thanos inclined his head to the angel if a request or an allowance to continue, Loki was still unsure. 

“Shall I continue?” the angel asked.

They didn’t look at her face nor did they speak, but they nodded anyway.

“Azreal had been holding back, she was the angel of merciful deaths and justice. She had not wanted them to suffer, but if that was necessary then she would teach them their lessons."

"They were not immortal."

"They were not unkillable."

"They did not stand equal or above death, they stood below her."

"They could not rule the universe."

"They could not kill whomever they wanted with no consequences."

"But she knew something was coming, something that would bring so much death the universe would become unbalanced. Life would die and so would Death."

"The ‘perfect’ man had pleaded with the angel. Trying to apologize for past wrongs claiming he was uncertain what wrongs he’d committed. His miserable excuses for apologies enraged the angel but death was her priority so she showed her ‘family’ mercy once more and let them come back home but watched them, waited for them to cross the line.”

Loki covered his laugh with a hacking cough, that something was obviously Thanos.

“The angel had met someone, someone who didn’t need her power, didn’t want her power, just wanted her. So she pledged the universe to them, and to her children, her brother, her sister, to Death, and to the Soul Stone. She knew all their failures and faults, but she loved them all the same and they loved her too. For the first time, the angel knew what true happiness was, even Lady Death who was dealing with hundreds of thousands of more souls than normal could feel her joy.” the angel let out a shuddering breath.

“She felt it when that ‘something' arrived, she wanted to go immediately but she needed to know something first. So she went to Death and asked ‘what am I?’ and Death answered, ‘you are my angel, you are Azreal’ but such an answer did not make sense with all the angel had experienced, all she knew, all she felt. So she asked ‘what more than that?’ Death looked at her and said ‘I wasn’t sure how to tell you’ that was all the angel needed, she was no longer broken, she was made whole. Everything fell into place and she knew what she had to do.”

Loki’s eyes were now locked on the angel’s face, she told no lies but his curiosity was getting to him.

“The angel raced to the fight, she could feel each soul that fell, she could feel the dead that lay across the battlefield, she could feel every drop of blood that was shed as if it was her own. The angel reached out to death as she stalled for time, asking for her to come and give her final answer, so the angel could rest. The angel hid away and entered the fighting, she saw people she cared for, even though she had never known them, dead. She could feel all the pain and sorrow and she wanted it to end. She accepted her fate and awaited her death, she could hear the soul of the one she loved cry out for her. She regretted letting go but she knew what had to be done. She called to who she really was and she called to Death, and she was answered.”

Standing beside the angel with a face half-rotten and a half so perfect that it would have put all others to shame if Loki had not seen his mortal’s face when she smiled. Eyes looked at him with understanding, one dead and one alive.

The angel stood and nodded to Lady Death as Thanos spoke “Mistress,” he breathed in what sounded like a mix of insanity, awe, and obsession, “You have come back to me.”

Eyes stare blankly at him and Loki felt the urge to smile, his death would be soon, he would be back with his mortal. 

Death smiles, but something is off “not by choice, you happen to have forced me to work to the point of exhaustion thanks to your ‘courting’. But I have to ask... you claim to have a gift and the dead have told me it is the Infinity Stones, yet it is incomplete. You are missing the most important one, at least to me.” 

“I tried to give you a hint, I actually gave you several.” the Angel said, even with thousands of voices they managed to sound snarky.

Thanos stared at Death and opened his mouth but no words came out.

He frowned as he tried again but nothing.

Loki snickered and he could have sworn he heard a giggle that sounded just like Antonia’s but when he looked around he didn't see her.

“I swear to you, I will get you the Soul Stone no matter the costs,” Thanos said, quickly recovering.

Death raised her rotten brow, “No matter the cost, no matter who you kill, you will get the Soul Stone?”

Thanos nodded “Yes, no matter what I will get you the Soul Stone.”

“Then, by all means, try.” 

Something in Death’s tone sent Loki onto high alert.

He didn’t realize why until he heard the harsh sound of metal on metal. 

There, beside death stood the angel, holding two blades.

The darkness of the blades reminded Loki of his time in the void, a place where all light was lost. But unlike the void, gold trickled through the blades, glowing brightly, making it as if the Soul Stone itself was trying to break out of the darkness, the same could be said for the large wings. Resting in the angel’s chest, was the Soul Stone. Glowing cheerfully, like a welcoming fire in a hearth. 

Looking up Loki was shocked, that couldn’t…

he must be seeing things.

Just because the Soul Stone is in the same place as the Arc reactor was doesn’t mean that she wasn’t…

but hope flared to life in him

only to darken as he heard the humming of the Infinity Stones.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written anything like this so I think I did a decent job?


	7. Kaleidascope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know

The angel, Azreal, his Antonia, his mortal who apparently is not, in fact, mortal, stood in front of him. His last tendrils of magic reached out towards her life-force, if she was truly his Antonia, his magic would know, it had always adored her just as much as the god who wielded it.

Her essence sang through him, running through his body like a river through a desert, replenishing him with her limitless amount of love, with the fact she was real, she was here, she was alive.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Thanos don’t you know the rules?” Antonia, despite clearly being the angel with a thousand voices now spoke in just one, her mortal one. “You can only use your natural skills, you must win the allegiance of the stones, you cannot simply take them, otherwise they will never be wielded to their true power.” She raised her sword and knocked the blast of energy from the gauntlet up into the sky, a bright beacon. It slammed into the Chitauri ships in the skies and they rained down, chunks of alien, molten metal, armor, and weapons.

The shockwave that followed knocked Thanos back, clearly unprepared to have the stones deflected so easily.

\-----------------------------

Death, taking advantage of the distraction, slipped towards her angel’s love and began to use her half-moon blades to cut away the magically enhanced manacles.

Loki felt the seals on his seidr fall away along with the bands, his stores were depleted, but if he could help his Antonia he would. A gentle but firm hand on his shoulder held him back, he turned to see Death standing over him. “Please,” he whispered, hating how broken his voice sounded. “Let me help her.”

Death shook her head sadly and looked forward, “this is the only way. Azreal, the soul stone, alone must stop him. I cannot because he is almost immortal, I cannot kill him. I foolishly made him immortal, so that not a soul alive could kill him because I did not want him anywhere near me.”

“Then why can Antonia, I mean Azrael kill him?” he asked, mind reeling. He had seen Antonia's soul, she definitely had one. It had been bright and warm, and come to think of it, the same shade as the soul stone.

“The soul stone leans more towards a concept, an ideal made corporeal. Life, mercy, justice, eternity, all of us, we are all beings. The infinity stones are not, they are alive, they are dead, and they were never living all at the same time. It’s what makes them so dangerous. They are the rules and the exception, they are an infinite paradox.” she sighed, “the avengers once called Azrael soulless, which was true but she was also the embodiment of every soul to ever exist.”

That sparked a memory, “once... She told me of a mortal, Yinsen. He called her someone who had everything and nothing.”

“And he was not wrong, but she will have everything even when she has nothing because she has found her happiness.”

Too tired to even begin to unpack what that could mean specifically, Loki turned back to the fight, knowing he could do nothing to keep Antonia safe, he had always known she was strong, but he had never known how strong.

\-------------------

Thanos scrambled to his feet as he dodged the burning debris of his army. Grabbing his dual-bladed sword he lunged at Toni.

Her swords dissolved into a shield as Thanos slammed his sword downwards, towards her head. Her wings flared behind her and she was knocked a step back at the brute force behind the attack.

They drew back, circled one another like wolves, and threw themselves at each other over and over.

The earth shook as they clashed, wave after wave of power radiating out of them.

Toni’s weapons morphed into battering rams, swords, shields, and weapons Loki had never seen before. She was twisting and turning around Thanos like a dancer. She flew, sliced, kicked, punched, and fired shards of metal. The black and gold swirled around her, giving her the appearance of a hurricane, making her a one angel army and an arsenal.

She took punch after punch, brushing them off and throwing herself back into the fight as if they had never happened. She dodged blows that Loki knew he would have never been able to avoid. She pulled combat moves that, despite their lack of flamboyance, even had the black widow looking on in awe.

Loki wasn’t sure how strong the fact she was an angel of death made Antonia, but she was holding her own against a monster who had led to the fall of Asgard.

Loki had always known his Antonia had never been overly fond of magic that wasn't his, and in the beginning, she had been wary of his magic too. So seeing her surrounded in something oddly reminiscent of it surprised him. Could he truly call her his Antonia if he knew so little about her?

What was most surprising was the green glow coming from her wrist, the one she had been using to block blows that couldn’t be shielded in time, as she and Thanos warred over the stones.  
That glow, he would recognize it anywhere.

The necklace he had given her, that she had been wearing before she had transformed, was now wrapped around her wrist. How it was still intact after taking such hard hits was beyond him.

In his rage and desperation, Thanos began to charge the gauntlet.

The air crackled with energy, from the fight and the infinity stones.

Letting out a monstrous roar, he took aim and blasted.

Loki watched in horror.

Despite the arm shielding it...

the soul stone was hit.

The world around Antonia erupted into a pulsing kaleidoscope of colors.

\-------------------------

Death felt the universe stop when the soul stone was hit.

She felt every being hold their breath.

She watched the souls from the stone as they drifted into the air surrounding her angel, and she could do nothing to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for all errors and if anyone has not enjoyed this chapter.


	8. Crumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too tired

Toni felt the moment the soul stone cracked, she felt all the souls fill the air, she felt the hum of their energy, their hopes and dreams, their goal.   
  


\------------

Loki stared in horror as he saw the soul stone crack, crumble and shatter. If his Antonia was the soul stone, she would surely die. 

The colors around her flashed hundreds of shades, they thrummed, and pulsed, they floated through the air like bubbles of color.

He had always known his Antonia was beautiful but to see what she was the embodiment of, was awe-inspiring and horrifying at the same time.

Just as they had rippled out from her they now rushed back towards his not so mortal mortal like a tidal wave of color.

\------------

Everyone was blinded as millions of souls reformed and pulsed with a harsh, sterilizing light. 

The souls tore forward, as a razor thin band of light.

\------------

Loki's skin felt tight, but also like it was gone. 

He could hear nothing and he could hear the whispers of all the souls in the universe.

His vision was filled with nothing but blankness, but he could see flashes of lives he had never known, people he had never seen, he saw children laughing, he saw catastrophic wars, he saw the birth of the universe, he saw the death of a man he had never heard of.

Emotions flooded the battlefield, the happiness, the rage, the sorrow, the betrayal, the empathy, the love, the overwhelming protectiveness. 

Just as the world had been flooded with thousands of souls, it was now empty once more. 

Silence filled the space as a grunt came from somewhere to his left. He turned to a sight he had never thought he would see.

\---------------

Thanos fell to his knees. 

A ribbon of souls wrapped around him, layer over layer, sliding as if it was a serpent made of a ribbon of souls. 

Everyone sat stunned.

Soothing energy seeped into them, souls floating seemingly aimlessly around people in shades of cheerful golds and yellows were giving energy, comfort, healing.

Loki couldn’t believe it. 

It took Antonia a few minutes what the entire universe, death, the avengers, the Asgardians, and every race that Thanos had ever destroyed to do what none of them could. 

One angel of death and the soul stone was all that was needed. 

That was all that was needed to down a monster with five of the Infinity Stones in his possession. 

That was all that was needed for an ensured victory.

\---------------

The wounds that had covered Loki's body dissolved into a soft glow, the bones that had been out of place in the avengers shifted back into place, the guardians who had been covered in burns and bruises looked as if they had never been touched. 

He tested for his seider but found none that could come to him, the souls had ensured he would heal, his magic would return with rest and food.

\----------------

Bound.

Restrained.

Defeated. 

Thanos no longer looked untouchable. 

The air of intimidation and strength was gone.

His sword was shattered. 

His army was decimated. 

The Gauntlet on his hand still glowed brightly but a bobbing green light drifted up and over to Toni.

It bobbed merrily, an acknowledgement, toni shook her head with a sad smile and the time stone disappeared into a flash of light.

The mind stone, loki shuddered, abandoned the titan next, dissolving into a mist and drifted into the soft breeze.

Loki would recognize the space stone anywhere as it disappeared into a portal, after all he had used it in his attempts to destroy antonia’s world. 

Power drifted to rest just behind the angel’s shoulder, like a bodyguard. She waved her hand and after a fond smile the power stone transformed into a beam similar to the one Loki had believed to kill his love, and shot off to somewhere unknown.

Reality floated directly in front of Antonia, it rippled the air around it, not the air Loki realized, the reality around him, the very fabric of the metaphorical tapestry they lived in. 

“I know, but you can’t, this was meant to happen, this was my purpose, you cannot change everything to keep us here.” Toni spoke like she was speaking to an indignant child

The reality stone flared up and rippled the air around it rapidly, as if upset. 

“Yes, yes, but different.” she said with a chuckle, then she tilted her head “go find yours, it has been waiting for you, go find your reality. Time has gone to find his era, Mind is searching for her thoughts, Space needs space, Power is going to find more ways to be powerful, go find where you feel you belong. I found where I belong, go find your home.”

Loki was confused, but at the same time it made since the soul stone had a soul and a home, so why couldn’t time have a time that was his home, same for the rest of the stones. He hadn’t realized space was sentient, but maybe he had never bothered to or been able to listen. 

  
  


With the infinity gauntlet useless, Thanos, the inevitable downfall of Asgard. Kneeled.

——————

Exhausted, Toni turned towards death “please.”

Death nodded, knowing what her angel was asking. She sent as much energy as she could flooding towards her angel, enough to keep her and the soul stone intact. 

——————

Toni felt death’s resolve flood through her. With all that she could muster she stepped towards Thanos, who was looking at her with a mix of rage and fear.

Gently and slightly disgusted she placed her hand on his head, drew a deep breath, and called for the only part of the monster that had any loyalty.

Slowly the shriveled and abused soul slipped out from Thanos, pooling in her other hand.

It was weak, it held nothing but chaos, rage, and endless hatred.

This soul, no matter how long it had, could never be healed. Even the soul stone could not cleanse it of it’s never ending wrath.

She drew her hand away from the Titans forehead as his eyes turned dull and listless. 

With one, final breath, she slammed her hands together and commanded the souls to finish the job.

\---------------

The souls, since the beginning of the universe were loyal to the soul stone, and the soul stone alone. 

And so...

They obeyed.

——————-

Loki watched in awe and disgust as what was quite obviously Thanos’ soul get crushed by the infinite number of souls that wrapped themselves around Antonia's hands.

———————

Toni felt the last of her strength leave her, destroying such a spiteful soul split the soul stone the rest of the way through and she felt the moment it finally crumbled away.

————————

Loki watched in horror as Antonia swayed and collapsed.

He heard death call out but he felt like he couldn’t breathe, he had lost her once, and she had returned.

He could not lose her again.

Not again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will review this for errors later but I felt bad for the pause in posting.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys so this is the end! 
> 
> If anyone has requests I'm happy to write one-shots but I doubt anyone will be interested but just in case...
> 
> Hope you guys liked it!
> 
> \- B0redaf

Death was horrified, her angel had assured her she would remain safe, but of course, she was her self-sacrificing self and used the last tendrils of her life essence to rid the universe of Thanos.

Her angel had promised to keep her safe, she should have known she would do it no matter the costs, her angel had always been so selfless.

\------------

Loki wasn't aware he had crossed the distance to Antonia, despite the setting sun painting the sky with soft purples fading into darkness, thousands of souls floated like multicolored fireflies.

Each one drifting and pulsing, in every shade he had known and some he hadn't, they floated through the air, always seeming to drift away only to be blown back by a nonexistent breeze, back towards Antonia.

She lay battered on the ground, shadows oozing around her mixing with a red liquid Loki refused to believe to be blood.

She had survived Thanos.

Surely she could survive this.

Surely….

The sliver of doubt was all it took.

Loki crumbled just like the soul stone.

It felt like his heart was bleeding out through his eyes.

Oceans of misery.

Waves of loneliness.

His body trembled, growing colder than his jotun form he didn’t fight to suppress but never surfaced.

It didn’t matter what they thought anymore.

Nothing mattered.

Antonia was dead.

\----------------

Death had seen far too many angels fall.

Yet, with each that passed, death felt her heart die with them.

Antonia’s wings had faded, her glowing gold of the soul stone, gone.

Her once glossy black feathers had turned matte and were greying.

She knew from watching the mortals her Antonia had grown so fond of that even this magnitude of grief passes.

And while it does,

You learn,

You learn more about pain than anyone ever wanted to know.

Then you remember it.

Then some use it as fuel.

They use it to help prevent the same suffering.

But her angel’s love was experiencing a different sort of grief…

A broken heart…

She recalled what her angel had said when she had first fallen in love after her first love had left her with a broken heart.

“you transform that raw pain.”

“You use it, you make your soul roar.”

“So, get back on your feet.”

“People will need you back.”

From all Death knew, Loki’s heart hadn’t broken.

It had died.

\-----------

In the half-light, Loki knew he looked like the shadows.

Hunched over.

He had known he loved Antonia, he knew she was his world, his life, his everything.

His heart wasn't broken.

Wasn’t shattered into more fragments than stars.

It was gone.

He wants to beg,

Plead,

Scream.

He wants it all to stop,

But he knew it would be hopeless.

The sobs that wracked his body should no signs of slowing.

It hurt to breathe,

He didn't care.

He didn’t want to,

What was the point?

He held her hand as he sobbed

Held the necklace he had given her to his chest

“Please” he whispered, voice hoarse from crying

“Please Antonia”

“You’ve had worse than this”

“If your safe I won’t ever disappoint you again”

He flashed through every happy memory they had, every time she had smiled at him.

Carefree.

He remembered every time she had cried.

Recalled each time he had upset her.

Relived the moments that now haunted him

She had deserved better.

If he had been better

Maybe...

Maybe...

She would still be here.

It felt like his soul was flickering, a candle about to be extinguished.

He tilted his head up

Waiting for his soul to leave,

Waiting to die,

Waiting to return to Antonia.

\-------------

The wind that had been still breathed a soft sigh.

The souls that had been drifting like clouds of colorful lights began to rumble.

The shadows that had been pooling with blood rippled to an unknown beat.

\------------

The necklace, which Loki had been gripping so tightly, split.

His emerald green magic poured out.

A golden magic, the same golden shade of his Antonia's soul, of the soul stone, her lifeblood mixed in with Loki's green.

\------------

The clouds of souls began to drift down like snow, settling gently onto Antonia, and melting away.

The golden glow slipped into the black.

Splashing around like children they crashed into one another.

Loki’s seidr slipped into his reserves

Somehow they filled,

They overflowed,

His seidr hummed with Antonia's essence,

With her,

With her limitless love.

\---------------

The shadows slid over the wings, the gold running over and back.

Clouds of souls pressed on so frequently Antonia looked more like an amateur's illusion than Antonia.

The air began to sway back and forth, matching the rise and fall of a chest.

A flickering, glorious amber glow, run through with cracks of shadows, and darkness slipped out of the oily shadows.

Feather ruffled as if preparing for flight

Eyes glowing gold opened with a soft gasp from the slightly agape mouth as it slowly drew into a fond smile filled with a sense of immense sadness and self-deprecation.

\---------------

Loki felt a hand brush his cheek.

Batting it away he drew the arm he was holding closer.

He couldn’t leave her

With his seidr restored they couldn’t make him.

An amused huff “Lokes…”

His eyes snapped up

\-------

Toni knows what has happened.

She had been forced to watch as Loki had crumbled, as he had died.

What she had resorted to doing to end his suffering was nothing short of going against the natural order.

Consequences be damned, she needed Loki to be safe and happy.

It came from the focus she has, from the message her bastard of a father had ingrained in her.

**1\. Starks _never_ cry.**

But Toni cries in a different way.

Her tears become her actions, her problem-solving.

She channels her love into helping in that stubborn way of hers that would send her on week-long inventing sprees.

If those she loved were upset,

She would fix it.

**2\. Starks are made of _iron_**

She was forged with an iron of her own creation.

With the gentle hand of death.

With the love of her family.

With her life with Loki.

She forged herself with real love.

She'd protect anyone,

help anyone,

Her soul could hear everyone, so she did her best to heal everyone.

When she seemed emotionless,

She was most emotional.

It was an overload reaction developed when little 4-year-old Toni could feel everyone in the universe, there was too much emotion to process and so her brain edited it out.

If you are really looking is that despite shutting off the emotions for self-preservation you would see,

She still worked to save everyone,

To love her family,

In a way that is enhanced by the lack of emotions.

So twist it and call her narcissistic,

or sociopathic,

or whatever stupid inaccurate label you care for

she would love until she couldn't anymore.

**3\. Starks _never_ fail**

So sealing herself off from the influence of the souls she called, coaxed, and convinced her loyal souls to help her one last time.

To at least let her say goodbye.

But her souls, knowing who she truly was after so many years together, did more.

\-----------

Antonia smiled at him as his eyes teared up.

Pressing their foreheads together she whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.”

**Author's Note:**

> tbh I can't think of anything but pls leave comments


End file.
